Evener-coupling.



UNITED, STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.,

OLE A. FLADBY AND JOHN B. FLADBY, OF RUTLAND, NORTH DAKOTA.

l. EvENER-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,035, dated January 3, 1905.

I Application filed March 23, 1904:. Serial No. 199,541.

To LZ/f w/wm/ t may concern:

Be it known that we, OLE A. FLADBY and JOHN B. FLADBY, of Rutland, Sargent county, North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Evener-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to devices for coupling an evener to a pole or to a swingletree or a swingletree to 'the thill cross-bar of aV single rig.

The object of our invention is to provide a coupling which will dispense with all holes and bolts in the swingletree, evener, and pole, thereby lessening the danger of their splitting and breaking, but at the same time holding the swingletree and evener securely Lin place and allowing them to swing freely back and forth with the movement of the team in drawing the load.

A further object isv to provide a coupling adapted for use on eveners either half-round or square in cross-section and of any suitable size and applicable for harvester-eveners, as well as wagons, buggies, and drays.

The invention consists generally in providing a coupling for connecting' the swingletree and evener and cross-bar of a single rig and the evener andpole without the use of bolts passing through the swingletree, evener, and pole at the point where the coupling is made.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view of a pole, evener, and swingletree with our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on'the line 1/ y of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a section on the line .e s of Fig. 2, a portion of the upper member of the coupling being broken away to show the slot in the lower member of the coupling. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective Views of the coupling members shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings, 2 represents a pole, 3 an evener, and A a swingletree, all of ordinary construction. casting 5, open on one side to permit the insertion of the evener and having on that side 'f holes 6 for a bolt 7 and on the other side provided with a flange 8, having a slot 9. An opening 10 is provided in the top of the 'cast- Upon the evener we arrange a ing near the center line of the evener. This casting forms the lower evenerfmember of the coupling. The swingletree is provided with a casting 11, forming the other member of the coupling, having a boss 12, adapted to llit into the opening 10 and turn freely therein, and a flange 13, having a slot 14. to receive the upper hooked end 15 of the bolt 7 and slide freely thereon. The opposite side of the casting 11 is provided with flanges 16, having holes 17 to receive a bolt 18, that has a hook at its lower end and passes through the slot 9 and is slidable therein. A loop 19 is preferably provided on the casting 5, to which a strap 20, that is connected to the Vehicle, is attached. Lugs 21 are preferably provided on the lower flange 16 to aid in holding the lower portion of the swingletree in place.

The above-described device forms an eX- tremely simple and practical means for coupling a swingletree and evener together ora swingletree to a thill cross-bar of a single rig. There are no holes in the swingletree and evener to weaken the same or cause them to split or break when subjected to strain, and we are able therefore to use -smaller and lighter pieces of wood for these parts than can ordinarily be safely employed.

We have shown the device applied to an evener square in cross-section and a swingletree that is substantially half-round; but it will be understood that the coupling can be readily adapted for other shapes and all sizes. In Fig. 3 we have shown a similar form of coupling for connecting the pole and evener. In this case the upper casting is substantially the same as the one described, except that it is formed to fit the evener and is providedin its upper side with a bolt'22 for securing the forward end of the strap 23 to the evener. The lower member of the coupling consists of a plate 24, adapted to rest upon the top of the pole and having depending lugs 25, through which the plate is secured to the pole by a bolt 26. The bolt 18, having its head fitting within the recess 27, secures one end of the plate 24 to the evener-casting, while the opposite end of said plate is provided with a hook 28, that enters the slot 14 in said evenercasting and allows the evener to swing back and forth. In this form of coupling it will be noted that there are no holes in the evener and that but a single small bolt is employed in the upper part of the pole to secure the pole-plate thereto. i

We claim as our invention-- 1. A coupling for eveners and swingletrees, comprising tWo members, .one having a central pivotal bearing on the other and both having slotted flanges on their opposite sides, and securing devices slidably connecting said members through said slots Without passing through either said evener or swingletree and one of said securing devices having a hooked head to permit the convenient separation of said members when the other device is re-` leased.

2. An evener and swingletree coupling comprising a casting wherein the evener is inserted, a second casting adapted to receive the swingletree, said second casting having a pivl from said first-named flange, and bolts carried by said castings respectively and passing through slots in said flanges, for the purpose specified.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands this 17th day of March, 1904:.

OLE A. FLADBY. JOHN B. FLADBY. In presence of- H. L. GREENE, J. H. JOHNSON. 

